NOCTUKM. 



saiis is rough, and always looks as though it 

 had been dipped in mud, and dried without 

 washing. The Moth is common on palings, 

 and on the trunks of poplar trees, about Mid- 

 summer. (Scientific name, Smerinthus Po- 

 puli.) 



3. THE LIME HAWK-MOTH. The fore 

 wings are olive-brown, with a central cross- 

 bar of dark olive-green, and a green border ; 

 the cross-bar is often divided in the middle 

 so as to form two spots hind wings brown, 

 with a darker band passing across them ; the 

 base of the hind wings is rather darker than 



the rest ; not pink, as in the Eyed Hawk -Moth, 

 or red, as in the Poplar Hawk-Moth. The 

 caterpillar is rough like shagreen, greenish 

 sprinkled with yellow dots, and having seven 

 oblique yellowish stripes on each side ; these 

 stripes are sometimes margined with red : 

 the horn at the tail is blue above, and yellow 

 beneath ; and beneath the tail is a flat purple 

 plate or scale, with a yellow edge. It feeds 

 on elm trees and lime trees. The chrysalis 

 is of a dull red colour, and rough like the 

 caterpillar. (Scientific name, Smerinthus 

 TiKce.) 



4. The Death's-Head Hawk 

 4 TITE DEATn's-TIiCAD HAWK-MOTH. Fore 

 wings rich brown, beautifully mottled and 

 banded, and having a pale dot in the middle. 

 Hind wings yellow, with two black bands. 

 On the thorax is a very conspicuous mark re- 

 sembling a skull, which has given rise to the 

 name, and also to many superstitions respect- 

 ing this curious insect. The body is yellow, 

 with six black bands and a row of six large 

 blue spots arranged in a line down the middle 

 of its back. 



The caterpillar is smooth, and generally 

 yellow, sprinkled over with minute black 

 dots, and having seven oblique blue stripes 

 on each side, each pair of them meeting to- 

 gether on the back in a point ; towards the 

 belly of the caterpillar they become darker 

 and almost black, and are margined by a de- 

 licate white line ; the horn above the tail is 



Moth (Acherontia Atropos). 

 very rough and bent down, but turned np 

 again at the tip. It feeds on the deadly night- 

 shade, the potato, and the tea-tree : the chry- 

 salis is enormously large, of a reddish-brown 

 colour, smooth and shining. The caterpillar 

 is found in August, the perfect insect in 

 October : it is very fond of honey, and creeps 

 into the hives in the South of Europe, and, 

 with its short thick trunk, sucks the honey 

 out of the cells. 



This insect is as extraordinary in its habits 

 as in its appearance. In all the stages of ita 

 existence, whether as caterpillar, chrysalis, or 

 perfect insect, it has the power of uttering 

 a distinct cry, or sound. The noise made by 

 the caterpillar was first noticed by Fuessly : 

 when disturbed it draws back its head very 

 quickly, making at the same time a loud snap- 

 ping noise, which has been comn0~^ to n 



